Creating a Culture of Productivity in a Regional Finance TeamKelleeanne Desimone2019-07-09T23:48:18-06:00

Project Description

“The Workflow Alignment program works because of the sustainability. It’s a long term solution. Achieving what I wanted to achieve for my team is possible. Workflow Alignment is not a magic bullet: it’s work. You have to put the time in if you want to make the change, but it’s worth it. Shifting the culture of your team is a big commitment, it’s not quick and easy. But it’s going to make a difference. It works. You can improve your work-life balance by committing to this.” – Former Area Director of Finance, Global Hospitality Chain

Customer
In 2016, an Area Director of Finance for a global hospitality chain and her team were responsible for managing the finances for all US East Coast hotels. This global hospitality chain’s Regional Finance Team was responsible for 28 hotels and their internal finance controls, with goals around profits, balance scorecards, internal controls, risk assessment, and compliance.

Challenge
Some members of the finance team were experiencing higher levels of stress and overwhelm, resulting in an increased turnover rate. Feedback from current employees, along with those exiting, was that the demands of their roles were increasing, and they didn’t feel there was ample time to focus on the priority activities. They often felt caught up in details without an understanding of the overall company strategy, and the feeling around the department was a general sense of frustration and the inability to be productive.

The team leader was aware that their team was inadvertently creating a negative impact on each other’s productivity without even realizing it. Confusing communications, frequent interruptions, and unproductive meetings were some of the main challenges. The team lead was in search of a solution that would sustainably shift current unproductive habits and improve the culture while helping their team find an improved sense of control, increased focus on the priority tasks, and find improved work-life balance in their jobs, resulting in greater retention.

Solution
The team leader had previously taken McGhee Productivity Solutions’ (MPS) Take Back Your Life! (TBYL) course and reached out to MPS CEO Sally McGhee, to find a solution to their challenges that was more systemic and sustainable for their entire team than an Individualized TBYL course. The team lead felt that their employees would benefit more from a training that would permanently impact the way the entire team collectively processed and standardized their overall workload, information processing, and communication styles. This would help them achieve clear alignment on task completion moving forward.

MPS introduced the team leader to a Senior MPS Consultant who guided the finance team through a six-month Workflow Alignment Program. This program is a team-focused solution to define standards and protocols related to productivity, communication, and technology. It specifically helps teams create accountability, increase productivity, and achieve higher percentages of their goals and objectives.

Results
Following the six-month program, the team reported that it is more aligned. During the creation of standards and protocols, awareness was created around the challenges the team was facing and communication was improved.

According to the productivity survey, conducted by McGhee Productivity Solutions, the team found themselves 31% more effectively using their time at work, 27% more focused on what was important to their role and 11% more in control at the end of each workday.

A culture of productivity has been created in the team and there has been an increase in alignment, energies, and attitudes that are positively impacting their work environment.

• 11% increase in sense of control
• Improved communication due to easy-to- implement protocols
• 27% increase in focusing on getting the right things done

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